Saturday night I joined a group of fifteen from the church for a nighttime bicycle ride around the Cades Cove loop.
If you’re not familiar with the route, it’s a one-way road that circles around a mostly-flat valley in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The Cove is a popular destination–too popular. The road is one lane and not wide enough for bicycles and vehicles to safely pass one another. This is a problem, since vehicles frequently stop or drive slowly, clogging the road. Nothing spoils the atmosphere of riding through the woods like inhaling diesel exhaust from a slow-moving big pickup truck in front of you.
So I recommend cycling during off-peak hours, or, preferably, when the loop is closed to auto traffic altogether (after dusk, or before 10 a.m. on Wednesdays and Saturdays).
Our ride Saturday commenced after sunset when the park closes the gate. In fact, we waited another half hour+ in the dark for the moon to start rising.
The Cove really is a different place at night. Obviously, it’s dark–especially when the moon isn’t out. The only lights we saw were those carried by a large group of walkers in the first couple miles.
But just as noticeably, it’s quiet . . . really quiet. No cars, planes, campers, cell phones–heck, there’s not even many animal noises. Very peaceful.
The almost-full moon peeked over a mountain to the east soon after we started riding. By the time we reached the sweeping overlook just west of Hyatt Lane, it had fully established command of the sky. We paused there for several minutes to regroup and rest. I sat on a parking space barrier and tuned out much of the conversation behind me. The moon danced with a few light clouds above the ridge in front of us. A warm summer mist shrouded parts of the open fields below.
It was my favorite part of the ride.
After taking another break at the mid-way visitor’s center (the bathrooms remain open at night, but they don’t have lights) our group started to disintegrate on the back half as riders continued at varying speeds. You don’t need a big group to ride the Cove, but it’s good to have at least one companion–it can be a long walk back to the gate if you have a mechanical breakdown.
The back half of the loop has more tree cover (i.e., it’s darker at night) and more rolling hills. None of the climbs are very long, but they’re enough to get your heart rate up if you don’t do much riding. It’s helpful to have suitable climbing gears.
This was the first time I’ve been to the Cove since they repaved the road. It’s a much nicer ride now without the potholes, especially when it’s dark and you can’t see the road as well.
So if you’re near the Smokies and have a functional bicycle, affix a bright light to your handlebars (and/or helmet) and explore the Cove at night–you’ll see the place in a whole new light!